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TOM EATON: What if Hlaudi Motsoeneng needs help rather than our laughter?

The more I’ve watched him, the less sure I’ve become that we are dealing with someone who is a fair target for mockery

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11 September 2019 - 08:28 Tom Eaton

Should we laugh at Hlaudi Motsoeneng?

I understand the urge. His first public appearances as the godfather of the SABC were comically absurd. His foray into national politics in this year’s election felt like a long build-up to a very silly joke. On Tuesday, at the Zondo commission, his narcissism remained superficially funny: his claim that he is educated because he has told lawyers and doctors what to do felt like a rerun of a broad, slapstick comedy.

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